Thomas Schnauz, Gennifer Hutchison join Peter Gould on AMC prequel

“Breaking Bad” alums Thomas Schnauz and Gennifer Hutchison have joined Peter Gould on the staff of the prequel series bound for AMC next year.

Schnauz will serve as co-exec producer on the Sony Pictures TV series starring by Bob Odenkirk. Hutchison will be supervising producer. Schnauz spread the word of his hire Wednesday night with a Tweet noting his move into the “Saul” offices.

Gould and “Breaking Bad” boss Vince Gilligan created the prequel that will revolve around shady lawyer Saul Goodman in the years before he meets chemistry teacher-cum-meth kingpin Walter White.

Schnauz was a co-exec producer on “Breaking Bad.” He earned an Emmy nom this year for penning the episode “Say My Name,” which he also directed. His other series credits include CW’s “Reaper” and Fox’s “The X-Files.”

Hutchison rose through the ranks on “Breaking Bad,” serving as exec story editor in the final season. Among her writing credits on the show were the final-season seg “Confessions.”

Gould may yet recruit more “Breaking Bad” alums as he puts the finishing touches on the writing staff.

There’s no word yet on a premiere date for “Saul,” but Sony has already struck an off-net deal with Netflix for repeats of the series. In announcing that deal, the logline for “Saul” described the show thusly: “From parking tickets to mass murder, from slip-and-fall to bond fraud, Saul handles it all.”

I loved Breaking Bad and loved Saul’s character. He was a delightfully nasty character with few redeeming features. I desperateIy hope that making him the main character doesn’t require the usual Hollywood transformation in which he becomes a crooked lawyer with a heart of gold.